PS2 does not play VCD. PS1 does with an add-on. PS2 may with a special boot cd + vcd 'game' software; I've never tried it but the software is out there. The SD-1600 will play VCDs only on CD-RW, not CDRs. It has been reported to play long strategy (dark green recording side) CDRs too, but results are mixed.

CD-i was the original green book format from Philips and Sony; later Philips only. Video-CD is basically an integrate subset of the CD-i format. When you create a standard compliant VCD on most software (like Nero) a CD-i app is integrated into the disc. You don't need to worry about burning CD-i only CDRs anymore since dedicated CD-i only players are now defunct. Burning as a standard compliant VCD is your best bet for compatibility.

quote: PS2 does not play VCD. PS1 does with an add-on. PS2 may with a special boot cd + vcd 'game' software; I've never tried it but the software is out there. The SD-1600 will play VCDs only on CD-RW, not CDRs. It has been reported to play long strategy (dark green recording side) CDRs too, but results are mixed.

Sony told me on the hotline PS2 may play VCDs!

How are the results (picture quality) on the SD-1600? Does it look better than on standard VHS tape?

Which software do you guys recommend to produce VCDs?? (I have a Plexwriter)

Sony may claim VCD support. But this may or may not be true depending on your PS2 revision and your geographical location. For instance the US version does not have (tested) VCD support for CDR/RWs.

VCDs look similar to VHS except the data does not degrade with repeated play and you can easily cue to any location in the video; it has all the features an audio CDs would offer over audio tape, but not the additional quality when it comes to video. SVCDs look better than Super VHS (SVHS), but you can't fit as much video on a CD. SVCD also has lower compatibility with standalone players; The SD-1600 does not support SVCD.